Revelation, Chapter 5, prelude to the Tribulation and the End
Bible End Times Prophecy Series
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Review: Chapter 1 of the Book
of Revelation tells us who initiated and inspired the writing: Jesus Christ.
Chapters
2 and 3 – the letters to the seven churches – provided then instructions to
congregations that were in different spiritual stages. Jesus Himself
told them what their strengths were and where some of them had gone wrong.
He also
made it clear that He is the authority of the church on earth. His letters are
relevant for us today as individuals and for our churches. [See the previous
posts on Chapters 2 and 3]. Chapter 4 gives us a glimpse into the throne
room of Heaven – the command and control center for the coming judgments of
God. John describes a breath-taking place where worship goes on all the
time.
A key point: Chapter 5
starts heading us into the Tribulation. Like Chapter 4, this chapter,
while dramatically picturesque, is self-explanatory. It is what it is. John
merely describes what he sees. Keep in mind throughout the rest of Revelation,
at least through the end of Chapter 19, what John will be describing is a
seven-year period - a relatively short time in which major catastrophic
events will occur. Once the series of events linked to divine judgment begins,
it will not stop; events will continue rapidly. Bam, bam, bam! That’s why
the time to prepare spiritually is now. Waiting until then amounts to taking a risky gamble
you might not win.
Rev. 5:1-14 (NLT) –
“Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the
one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the
outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And
I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break
the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3 But no one in heaven
or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep
bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But
one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy
to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb that
looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the
throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had
seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of
God that is sent out into every part of the earth. 7 He
stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on
the throne. 8 And when he took the scroll, the four living
beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a
harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of
God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become
a Kingdom of priests for our God.
And they will reign on the earth.”
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become
a Kingdom of priests for our God.
And they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked again,
and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne
and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a
mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And then I heard every
creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
14 And the four living
beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the
Lamb.
Comment: Wow! What can you say about
such a jaw-dropping scene? I wonder how John was able to take it all in. We
know from other scriptures that Jesus is considered the Lamb of God (Rev.
5:6). This is how John the Baptist described Him in John 1:29. We
also know from scripture that Jesus was the prophesied Lion of Judah, the descendant
of King David who was to be the Messiah.
To see Jesus, open the “scroll” with seven seals reminds me
of the time He appeared in synagogue and read another scroll - from Isaiah
61 (Luke 4:17-21) – while confirming His fulfillment of that prophecy. Now,
in Revelation, He is considered the only one worthy to open the scroll of
judgment. Why? He is the only sinless person to ever walk on the earth. As the
only sinless person, He alone was able to ransom or redeem a lost humanity (Rev.
5:9). Don’t forget that Jesus was fully human and divine at the same time
as a result of His birth into humanity. Through His suffering, crucifixion,
death and resurrection, He was able to obtain salvation for anyone who wishes
to receive His gift of grace. He is concerned about the thousands (millions?)
today who have not responded to His offer. He is not willing that anyone should
be lost (2 Peter 3:8-10).
The next verse, Rev. 5:10, gives His followers a
strong hint of what is to come after they are united with Jesus. We are not going
to be bouncing from cloud to cloud while playing harps. Really. It says we will
become a ‘Kingdom of priests for our God’ and will reign on the earth with Him.
More references to that later. We will be helping Jesus during His 1,000-year
reign on the earth (Rev. 20). We are going to have jobs! What they will be depends – it seems
logical – on how we prepare for them right now!!! That should motivate us
greatly to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to develop the Fruit of the Spirit in
our lives, repent of any known sins, and learn and live out God’s calling on
our lives.
Vamos con todo, as
they say in Spanish! It means, give it all we have. Believe me, I will be thankful
just to be a janitor in the Lord’s Kingdom, but I might get to do more – depending
on how much I trust and obey Jesus today. It’s something to get very excited
about. No sin is worth holding onto because we have a great inheritance at
stake. Your background or economic status does not matter. Rev. 5:9 [b]
tells us that Jesus died to save men and women from every’ tribe, language,
people and nation’
Today, if you know Jesus, then you too can lead
a victorious life
John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I
will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the
vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
1 John 2:16 (NIV) –
“For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:16 (NLT) –
“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for
everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not
from the Father, but are from this world.”
If you do not know Jesus Christ, the Savior,
then you must be born again
The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND
the punishment for those sins so that we could be saved. Receive His free offer of
salvation and put all your trust in Him.
John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day
he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
2 Corinthians 6:2 – “
For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of
salvation.”
Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter
replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Check out the worship song by UpperRoom inspired by chapter
5 UpperRoom Song
Look up Bible books in different translations Bible
Background: John the apostle wrote
the Apocalypse during his exile in Patmos. He received what appears to be a
series of visions about far future events. Jesus instructed him to write down
what he saw and send the writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor (region of
Turkey today). John was the last surviving member of the 12 apostles that the
Lord called to lead the church and its mission. Except for John, by now, when
he wrote the Apocalypse, the rest of the apostles had died as martyrs for the
faith. The church, however, continued to grow and spread. Persecution caused
the early believers to scatter from Jerusalem to other parts of the world. According
to church tradition, John lived out his remaining life in Ephesus after he was
released from Patmos.
Shalom!
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the name of Jesus!
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